Belgium has summoned the Israeli ambassador following airstrikes that destroyed the offices of the Belgian development agency (ANABEL) in Gaza. Belgian Foreign Minister Haja Lhbib, of Algerian descent, stated that targeting civilian buildings is unacceptable and called for an explanation from the Israeli ambassador to Belgium.
ANABEL’s director, Jean Van Wassenhove, confirmed that the agency’s offices in Gaza were completely destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday, expressing shock at the attack. He emphasized that as a governmental agency operating for the public good within the framework of international humanitarian law, ANABEL cannot accept being targeted.
The Israeli embassy in Belgium has not responded to the Belgian Foreign Minister’s statements or ANABEL’s claims. ANABEL’s building is located in the Al-Rimal neighborhood in the center of Gaza, which has been subjected to continuous Israeli artillery and airstrikes since the beginning of the siege on October 7.
According to a report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published last Wednesday, over 37,000 buildings, equivalent to 18% of the total buildings in Gaza, have been damaged or destroyed in the Israeli aggression. However, updated satellite data suggests that 50% of the buildings in Gaza are destroyed or damaged, according to a contributor to the UNCTAD report.
